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Paella

Paella

Paella on the Big Green Egg is simple but stunning. Authentic paella has a good crispy base ‘socarrat’ and the Spanish will fight over it and claim it it makes the dish perfect.

This paella recipe uses chicken but you can substitute with seafood, rabbit or seafood.  See our octopus and chorizo paella or pasta paella, Fidéua.

I can really recommend trying rabbit, it’s an authentic ingredient and tastes very similar to chicken. The supermarket Iceland stock rabbit in their exotic meats section for £5 a pack. Otherwise you can probably get whole rabbits from your butcher.

One ingredient you shouldn’t be using in paella is chorizo, just ask Jamie Oliver who was pulled up for his recipe. Personally if you want to add it, go for it, just don’t call it paella, we use it.

If you like your paella a little spicy then add some chilli peppers. Add wood chips or chunks if you like a deeper smoke than the charcoal will give it. I use hickory but add your own touch and try different woods.

A paella should never be stirred, a rissotto should always be stirred.

Remember ‘if you’re looking it ain’t cooking’, always cook with your Big Green Egg lid shut and this applies here.

Paella on the Ofyr 75

Cooking surfaces

Cast Iron Grid
Cast Iron Grid

BBQ Temperature

200°C

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 standard sized cooking chorizo – cut into small pieces
  • 4-6 chicken thighs
  • 2 large tomatoes, grated
  • 1 red pepper, cubed
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 cups of paella rice
  • 4 cups water
  • 2-3 tbsp concentrated liquid chicken stock (I use the Knorr bottles), or two Knorr liquid stock pots
  • 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
  • 1 pinch saffron
  • 1/2 cup of frozen peas
  • 2 lemons, cut into quarters
  • 2 handful of chopped parsley

Equipment

Method

  1. Set up your Egg at 180°C for a direct cook with the stainless grid. If you like your paella smoky then add some wood chips or chunks to the charcoal, don’t go mad though and make it too smoky.
  2. In your paella pan or saucepan, fry off the chicken thighs and chorizo until the thighs have colour on them and the chorizo is starting to go crunchy. Remove them from the pan.
  3. You should have oil left from the chicken. Add the red pepper and grated tomato and cook until the peppers soften.
  4. Add the garlic and paprika and fry until the onion starts to turn translucent and soften.
  5. Pour in the paella rice and stir to coat with the oil. You need to cook it for about 2 or 3 minutes, the grains will start to turn translucent and crack.
  6. Mix the saffron, stock and water and pour over the chicken, rice and chorizo. Stir to level the rice.
  7. Cook for 15 minutes and then add the chicken and chiorizo to the top of the rice. DO NOT stir.
  8. Leave the paella to cook without stirring, you want a crispy base to start forming on the bottom of the pan. This will happen when the liguid had been soaked up by the rice and the rice begins to fry in the remainder of the oil. 
  9. After about 35 minutes add frozen peas to the top of the paella, with segments of lemon. You want to bake the lemon to soften it and get more juice from it.
  10. Leave to cook for a further 5-7 minutes.
  11. Once the bottom of your rice has started to caramelise to the pan, you are ready to serve. 
  12. Serve with parsley to garnish.
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